All You Should Know About Pumpkin

Talk about pumpkins, and the first thing that may come in a girl’s mind is Halloween! Everyone is more or less a witch in women-land as it seems!

Well, the witchcraft extends much beyond just Halloween. You can enjoy the magic of pumpkins in your diet as often as you want. The huge fruit has some amazing health benefits, right down to its seeds. Check out the details below.

1. Good food for weight loss

Pumpkin is a very filling food and is perfect for your weight loss diet. It does not contain any cholesterol or saturated fat. It is very low in calories, supplying only 26 calories per 100 g of the fruit. It is rich in dietary fibers, so creates a filling effect. It consists of a lot of water, so it cools the body and lowers a highly acidic pH. In fact, pumpkins regularly feature is standard cholesterol control or weight loss diets.

Advertisements

Advertisements

2. A huge boost to immunity

The big fruit is huge in strengthening your immune system. This vegetable of the Cucurbitaceae family is one of the richest storehouses of Vitamin A. 100 g pumpkin packs in 7384 mg of Vitamin A, which is a galloping 246% more than the Recommended Dietary Allowance. Vitamin A works as a natural antioxidant, improves visual health, and maintains skin integrity.

In fact, A vitamin is famous for its benefits for the sight. It consists of zeaxanthin, a natural anti-oxidant that can filter the UV rays reaching to the eyes! It also serves protectively against lung and oral cancers. It is also a rich source of B-complex vitamins and diverse minerals (calcium, potassium, copper, phosphorus). In addition, you can derive the benefits of Vitamin C and Vitamin E.

3. A feel-good food

It is rich in amino acid tryptophan and does not have any health-hogging cholesterol to nullify its effect. Tryptophan triggers the secretion of the feel-good hormone serotonin, making you happy from the inside. It also helps you relax and deal with insomnia.

4. Relax with pumpkin

Chill out with a cup of pumpkin juice to relax quite literally. The phytoestrogens of pumpkin can reduce very high blood pressure amazingly. Researchers found pumpkin juice to act on both systolic and diastolic blood pressure calmingly. Yes, you can juice it or eat it raw for making the most of its health benefits.

5. Don’t throw the seeds away

Dried pumpkin seeds are actually amazing nutrition sources. They have mono-unsaturated omega 3 fatty acids, which are good for the heart. They do not have cholesterol but are healthy sources of zinc, selenium, niacin, and protein. The seeds also pack in tryptophan like the pulp. You can try pumpkins in amazing diets. You can make a puree and stir it with chili, stew, or soup. You can add it to your breakfast oatmeal or prepare a pumpkin pie.

Since it is a big fruit, you may think it is best to eat it soon lest it spoils. However, there is nothing to worry about that as well because the fruit has a very good refrigerator life. All you have to do is to wrap it in a big tissue paper. Try not to use newspaper for wrapping as the print chemicals permeate into the wet fruit. Sometimes, people have the allergy to pumpkin seeds. So, be careful there.